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Savory Stir-Fried Sweet Potatoes ♥

September 16, 2010

Today's sweet potato recipe: An easy weeknight supper vegetable, grated sweet potatoes cooked with a touch of heat and a splash of soy sauce. Low carb and full of flavor. For Weight Watchers, the sweet potatoes add up to just one point! Not just vegan, "Vegan Done Real".

Well hello, fall, so glad you're back.

The acorns may not yet thwack onto the roof but food-wise, I'm ready to put aside the spare bites of summer tomato and sweet corn and even this year's much-beloved okra. I'm ready to gird my table for the hibernation that is winter.

And isn't this the wonder of seasonal eating, loving each and every bite of the season's best, then moving onto the next season, ready to love each and every morsel in its own time? When I was a girl, I listened to Judy Collins sing "Turn, Turn, Turn: To Everything There Is a Season" until the 45rpm wore thin. As I listen now on YouTube, I realize how much the words guide my soul, food and otherwise.

And if this recipe for savory sweet potatoes -- published just yesterday! in the New York Times -- is any indication of repasts to come, hello fall, indeed. Chances are, all the ingredients are on hand, if not, no special trips to Trader Joe's or some specialty place are needed. Yet at least for me, this was an entirely new take on sweet potatoes, dark and toasty, sporting a little heat from a chili, something that will definitely cure sweet potatoes of the anathema of marshmallow sweetness.

I cooked the sweet potatoes an hour or so before supper, then reheated to serve with short ribs, some wonderful couscous (recipe to come, I promise!) and Me & Joe Went Hunting table conversation with two lifetime hunters. All were memorable but especially, yes, fall's first sweet potatoes.

REVIEWS"It was fantastic!! ... Best part - my husband ate it ALL and said it was definitely something we needed to make again!! SO good!!" ~ Cher"TWO THUMBS UP!!" ~ Molly

Green onion tops, cut into rings, for garnish (oops, mine were wilted so I used fresh parsley)
Sesame seeds, for garnish
More soy sauce for the table? (see TIPS)

FOOD PROCESSOR In a food processor with the blade attachment, chop the green onions, garlic, ginger and chili until finely chopped. (No food processor? Just chop finely.) Remove from the food processor.

GRATE If using a food processor, cut the sweet potatoes into pieces that will fit into the chute. Attach the grating blade, then grate the sweet potatoes. (No food processor? Leave the sweet potatoes whole, then use a hand grater.)

STIR-FRY Heat a large skillet on medium high, add the oil and heat until shimmery. When hot, add the grated onion-garlic-ginger-chili mixture, stir to coat with fat and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the sweet potatoes and stir to coat with fat. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if the sweet potatoes begin to stick, until they are fully cooked, about 25 minutes.

SEASON, GARNISH & SERVE Season with salt and pepper and stir in the soy sauce. To serve immediately, transfer to a serving dish, garnish with green onion and sesame seeds. Otherwise, turn off the heat, let rest until ready to serve, gently rewarm, transfer to a serving dish, garnish and serve.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES - Such a simple recipe, so many tips! GARLIC & ONION Two of my most-used pantry items for weeknight cooking are jars of garlic and jars of ginger from a nearby Asian market, picture here. Fresh garlic and ginger? Of course but tonight I went the easy route. GARNET SWEET POTATOES Look for red-skinned Garnet sweet potatoes. They are harder to find than brown-skinned sweet potatoes, also more perishable and thus more expensive -- but they have excellent flavor and are less prone to a mealy texture. That said, tonight I used regular brown-skinned sweet potatoes. MORE SOY SAUCE? The inspiring recipe suggested that more soy sauce might be used on the final dish at the table, we found no need for it. MODIFICATIONS 1) I cooked all the green onion-garlic-ginger-chili mixture, where the original recipe saved half the green onion for garnishing the cooked dish. 2) I used only 1-1/2 tablespoons oil (plus water to prevent sticking) versus the 3 tablespoons specified.

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comments:

Oh, YUM, YUM, YUM! I personally will pick out and off any and all mini marshmallows on anyone's serving of this to me. I prefer this wonderful veggie with just butter, salt and pepper! As I said, YUM, YUM, YUM!Never thought of adding a hot pepper spice to it as I was content with just the salt, pepper and butter combo. I may try it with Tabasco and see what I end up with.A big thank you to you for this.Cait

I saw this recipe's subjectline first in my inbox and then in the NY Times online. Wow, how cool to have it there!Can't wait to make it, sounds wonderful and I do so love sweet pots, as my grandma used to call potatoes.

Oh oh my! And the promise of this with the addition of hot pepper spice will make my husband finish the whole to do list I gave him this morning in record time!

Anonymous
on
September 19, 2010

Alanna, I have to tell you I made this savory stir fried sweet potatoes last night for company.. I used a spoon full of jarred chopped ginger, and a spoon full of chili garlic sauce. I wasn't able to find the pepper you'd mentioned.. oh, and I used canola oil because our little grocery store didn't have peanut. It was fantastic!! Our friends loved it, got online and e-mailed the recipe home, and signed up for your blog. Best part- my husband ate it ALL and said it was definitely something we needed to make again!! SO good!! Wish I'd made more. Thanks!! Cher

TWO THUMBS UP! I love sweet potatoes and eat them several times a week (never with marshmallows). My usual MO is to eat a baked one with black beans, avocado, tomato, etc... A savory meal for sure.

I love Asian-inspired dishes and this one was perfect. I used my electric kettle to boil water and kept it next to the skillet to add as necessary; it worked like a charm. When it was done, I added some of those "salad toppers" -- the garlic ginger flavored wonton strips -- and they added a nice crunch. I served the dish with a soy/lime marinated chicken breast and it was a perfect pairing.

Made these for lunch today. Hubby loved them. Unfortunately I didn't have fresh ginger so I used ground ginger. In my opinion I put too much in as it was a bit on the too spicy side, but otherwise enjoyed not have to fry with tons of butter, oils and sugars. Also had to use EVOO has I had no peanut oil. We both said they could be made again. Quick and easy way to have sweet potatoes.

Cooking55lady ~ Glad you liked them! I don't have good luck swapping powdered ginger for fresh ginger so it's good to know that with "less" powdered ginger, these are good. For others, do you by chance have a recommended amount? Thanks!

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna

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